Street level video simulation display system and method

ABSTRACT

A system and method are disclosed for displaying video on a computing device for navigation and other purposes. Video data is collected by traveling along roads in a geographic area and storing the video data along with data indicating the positions at which the video data had been captured. This captured video data is then used in navigation systems and other devices that provide navigation, routing, or other features. A video is presented to a user on the display of a navigation system (or other device). An application associated with the navigation system uses the previously captured video data to create the video shown to the user. The application selects that video data that shows the end user&#39;s position from a vantage point. The application further superimposes an indication on the video at a location that corresponds to the position of the end user.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to the copending patent applicationentitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STITCHING OF VIDEO FOR ROUTES” AttorneyDocket No. N0251, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to displaying video image information on acomputing device used for navigation and other purposes.

Various kinds of systems and applications are available that provideindividuals with useful information for traveling. For example,navigation systems installed in vehicles provide useful information tovehicle drivers and passengers, including information for findingdesired destinations, as well as guidance for following routes todesired destinations. Similar features are available on portable (e.g.,handheld) devices, such as personal navigation systems, personal digitalassistants with navigation functions and mobile phones. Usefulnavigation, routing, and map information is also available from variousweb sites.

Meaningful routing or navigation guidance includes helping a userascertain his/her location and orientation relative to his/hersurroundings. Helping a user ascertain his/her location and orientationrelative to his/her surroundings is useful in order to indicate to auser which way to embark on a route, direct a user through an upcomingmaneuver, show a user a landmark or useful location along a route, orshow a user a desired destination.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,886 discloses a method for showing a perspective, or3D, view of a vehicle's position on a map generated from two dimensionaldata. This type of view can be useful for helping a user determinehis/her position relative to the road network and guiding the user to adesired destination.

Although the method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,886 is helpful,there exists room for improvement.

Accordingly, there is a need to provide additional features onnavigation systems and other computing systems to help guide a user.Further, there is a need to provide ways to help a user know his/herposition or orientation relative to his/her surroundings. There is afurther need to provide information to a user to help locate or orient auser in his/her surroundings in a manner that efficiently uses computingresources. There exists an additional need to help inform a user abouthow to make an upcoming maneuver and to inform a user about locationsalong a route.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To address these and other objectives, the present invention includes asystem and method for displaying video on a computing device fornavigation and other purposes.

Video data is collected by traveling along roads in a geographic areaand storing the video data along with data indicating the positions atwhich the video data had been captured. This captured video data is thenused in navigation systems and other devices that provide navigation,routing, or other features. A video is presented to a user on thedisplay of a navigation system (or other device). An applicationassociated with the navigation system uses the previously captured videodata to create the video shown to the user. The application selects thatvideo data that shows the end user's position from a vantage point aboveand behind the end user. The application further superimposes anindication on the video at a location that corresponds to the positionof the end user.

According to a further aspect, routing information is provided byassociating the routing information with the indication of the enduser's position that is superimposed on the video.

According to another aspect, advanced driver assistance applications mayuse the video that has the user's position superimposed thereon toprovide warnings or other features.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overhead illustration of a portion of a geographic area.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a vehicle in which is installed datacollection equipment used to collect data in the geographic area, aportion of which is shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the camera shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates an end user's vehicle in which is located a computingplatform that uses the video data collected with the data collectionsystem shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the end user's vehicle shown in FIG. 4illustrating selection of a vantage point for the video to be displayedin the vehicle.

FIG. 6 is a view of the display of the computing platform of FIG. 4showing a video with an image of the end user's vehicle superimposedthereon.

FIGS. 7A-7C are views of the display of the computing platform of FIG. 4showing a video with an image of the end user's vehicle superimposedthereon performing a maneuver.

FIG. 8 is a view of the display of the computing platform of FIG. 4showing a video with an image of the end user's vehicle superimposedthereon with marking extending from the indication to indicate amaneuver.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS I.Collection of Video Data

FIG. 1 is an overhead illustration of a portion 10 of a geographic area.A map developer collects data for a database that represents geographicfeatures located in the geographic area. FIG. 1 shows roads 12 locatedin the geographic area. In this illustration, the roads 12 divide thearea into blocks 16. Intersections 18 are formed where two (or more)roads 12 meet. FIG. 1 shows only several streets, blocks, andintersections. It is understood that the geographic area may includehundreds or thousands of streets, blocks and intersections. For example,the geographic area may include a metropolitan area, a state, county,country, or several countries. Also, it is understood that not allroads, blocks, and intersections in the geographic area are as regularas shown in FIG. 1. For example, roads may be wider or narrower (e.g.,more or fewer lanes), roads may meet at various angles, blocks may belarger or smaller and more irregular in shape, and likewiseintersections may be larger or smaller or irregular.

The map developer uses vehicles that are driven along the roads 12 tocollect data about the geographic area. FIG. 2 shows one of the vehicles20 used by the map developer to collect data. Installed in the vehicle20 is data collection equipment 24. The data collection equipment 24includes a combination of hardware and software. The data collectionequipment 24 includes a positioning unit 28. The positioning unit 28 maybe a GPS unit, or alternatively the positioning unit 28 may include aninertial sensor, or other equipment, that enables the position of thevehicle 20 to be determined. The position may be determined asgeographic coordinates (latitude, longitude, and altitude), streetaddresses or any other way. The data collection equipment 24 alsoincludes a data storage unit 32. In one embodiment, a hard disk drive ofa portable personal computer 36 is used as the data storage unit 32.Alternatively, a separate data storage unit, such as an external harddisk drive, may be provided.

The data collection equipment 24 also includes a video camera 40. Thevideo camera 40 is mounted on the vehicle 20 (e.g., on the roof) so thatimages can be taken in all directions (360° horizontally around thevehicle and up) from a vantage point that is approximately 2 metersabove the ground. Thus, the video camera is mounted to obtainstreet-level video. The video is a street level (or near street level)because it is captured using data collection equipment located in avehicle being driven along the road. The street level video closelymatches what a person traveling along the street would observe (i.e., inall directions).

In one embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the video camera 40 includes sixlenses. In one embodiment, the video camera is a Ladybug®2 sphericaldigital video camera, manufactured by Point Grey Research of Vancouver,BC, Canada, although other cameras may be used. As shown in FIG. 3, fiveof the lenses 44 on the camera 40 are oriented horizontally and one lens48 is oriented upward. In other embodiments, cameras with more or fewerlenses may be used.

The data collection equipment 24 also includes a data collectionapplication 50. The data collection application 50 is a software programthat is executed on the personal computer 36. The video camera 40 andthe positioning unit 28 are operatively connected to the personalcomputer 36. The data collection application 50 operates the videocamera 40, the positioning unit 28 and the personal computer 36 tocollect video data and position data on the data storage unit 32. Morespecifically, as the vehicle 20 is being driven along the roads (12 inFIG. 1), the data collection application 50 causes the video camera 40to capture frames of video data as the vehicle is being driven along theroads 12 and to store the frames as data 54 on the data storage unit 32.Further, the data collection application 50 causes position informationacquired from the positioning unit 28 to be stored as data 58 on thedata storage unit 32. The data 58 acquired from the positioning unit 28indicates the position (latitude, longitude, altitude) where the frameswere captured. Thus, the data collection application 50 stores theframes and data that indicates the positions of the frames.

The data collection application 50 can be used to specify the framecapture (and storage) rate of the video camera 40. A suitable framecapture rate may be selected. The frame capture rate may be time-basedor distance-based. For example, a frame rate of 3 frames per second maybe chosen. Alternatively, the data collection application 50 may be usedto specify a frame capture rate of every 10 meters. Faster and slowerframe capture rates, either time-based or distance-based, may also beselected. According to another alternative, a combination of atime-based and distance-based frame capture rates may be selected. Theframe capture rate may also be selected as a function of other factors,such as type of roads, weather, traffic, etc.

The rate at which the position data is acquired (and stored) may also beselected. The position data capture rate may be selected by thepositioning unit 28, by the data collection application 50, or by othermeans. For example, the position data capture rate may be selected to beonce per second. Alternatively, faster or slower position data capturerates may also be selected.

The position data is associated with the video frame data so that theposition at which each video frame was captured is, or can be,determined. There are various ways that the position data may be matchedto the video frames. One way is to associate each video frame with themost recently acquired position. Alternatively, the position of eachvideo frame may be associated with a position that is interpolatedbetween positions acquired by the positioning unit 28. According toanother alternative, the video frame data and position data may each beassociated with a capture time, which is then used to match the videoframes to positions. According to still another alternative, since thevideo frames represent images that are captured in sequence, if thesequence is maintained when the frames are stored, then only some of thevideo frames need to be directly associated with positions. Those videoframes not directly associated with positions may be assumed torepresent positions located between those directly associated withpositions. The data collection application 50 may also account for anyprocessing delays between the video and position data collection datastreams.

Referring again to FIG. 1, paths 64 are illustrated along the streets12. As mentioned above in connection with FIG. 1, the map developer usesvehicles that are driven along the roads 12 in a geographic area tocollect data. The paths 64 represent the paths that the vehicle (20 inFIG. 2) follows as it is driven along the roads 12 to collect video andposition data. In FIG. 1, the paths are shown as straight lines. Thesestraight paths indicate that, in many cases, the vehicle 20 is drivenstraight through the intersections 18 (i.e., instead of turning left orright). In general, a pattern of paths 64 is selected so that thevehicle 20 is driven along each road at least once (in one direction).However, in order to perform the data collection process efficiently,the pattern is chosen that reduces traveling on the same road more thanonce (in one direction). Of course, at some point along a road thevehicle path curves as the vehicle 20 turns to travel onto another road.

The map developer may use vehicles 20 equipped with data collectionequipment (24 in FIG. 2) to collect video and corresponding positiondata on all the roads in the entire geographic area. Alternatively, themap developer may collect video and corresponding position data on theroads in only portions of the entire geographic area.

Still referring to FIG. 1, arrows 68 are shown at positions along eachof the paths 64. The arrows 68 indicate the direction that the vehicle20 is traveling along the corresponding path when it is being operatedto collect video and position data. The arrows 68 also indicatepositions along the roads at which a frame of video data was captured.

In one embodiment, the video frame captured at each position is a 360°panoramic video frame image. In other words, using a video camera thathas multiple lenses mounted horizontally, and possibly a lens orientedvertically, each video frame is a 360° composite image viewed in allhorizontal directions and up. In this embodiment, the data collectionsoftware 50 automatically stitches together the separate images acquiredby each of the multiple camera lenses to form a single, 360° panoramicvideo frame image. Alternatively, the other kinds of video frames may becaptured at positions along each of the roads, including multiple framesthat are not automatically stitched together, wide-angle images, a fisheye lens, or even plain single-direction images.

One advantage of capturing 360° panoramic video is that the video can beplayed back to show travel in either direction. Travel in the reversedirection can be depicted by using the rearward orientation of thepanoramic view and playing the frames back in the reverse order from theorder in which they were captured. (Note that other vehicles andpedestrians will also be traveling in reverse.)

II. Use of Video Data for Navigation

Once the video data is captured, as described above, it can be used invarious ways to support vehicle and/or pedestrian navigationapplications.

Referring to FIG. 4, an end user's vehicle 100 is shown. Installed inthe vehicle 100 is a computing platform 106. In this embodiment, thecomputing platform 106 is used to provide navigation-related features tothe end user (i.e., a driver or passenger of the vehicle 100).

The computing platform 106 is a combination of hardware, software anddata. In one embodiment, the computing platform 106 is an in-vehiclenavigation system. In an alternative embodiment, the computing platform106 may be a personal navigation device (“PND”) such as a hand-held,portable device designed specifically for navigation purposes. Inanother alternative, the computing platform is a general purposecomputing device, such as a personal digital assistant (“PDA”) orportable personal computer in which is installed a navigation-relatedapplication and to which a positioning system, such as a GPS unit, isattached. In another alternative, the computing platform may be a mobilephone that provides navigation features. The computing platform 106 maybe a standalone platform in which the hardware, software and data areall stored locally with the vehicle. Alternatively, the computingplatform may be connected to a network. In a networked platform, some orall the functions may be provided by software, hardware or data locatedlocally or remotely.

As stated above, the computing platform 106 is used to providenavigation-related functions. Navigation-related functions are providedby appropriate application software 108 and may include routecalculation, route guidance, destination selection, electronic yellowpages, vehicle positioning, and map display. The computing platform 106may perform additional functions or may provide only some of thesefunctions.

The computing platform 106 includes a positioning unit 110. Thepositioning unit 110 may be a GPS unit, and may include inertialsensors, differential wheel speed sensors, a compass, or otherequipment, that enables the position of the vehicle 100 to bedetermined. The positioning unit 110 operates with the navigationapplication software 108. The position may be determined as geographiccoordinates (latitude, longitude, and altitude), street address or anyother way.

The computing unit 106 also includes a user interface 112. The userinterface 112 includes means that enable a user to enter informationinto the computing platform 106 and means by which the user can receiveinformation from the computing platform 106. The user interface mayinclude speakers, a microphone, a keypad, voice recognition software,etc. In this embodiment, the user interface 112 also includes a display114.

The computing platform 106 uses a geographic database 120. Thegeographic database 120 includes data 124 about the geographic area inwhich the vehicle 100 is located. The geographic database 120 includesdata collected by the map developer. In this embodiment, the geographicdatabase 120 includes data about the roads in the geographic area,including data indicating the locations of the roads and intersections.The geographic database 120 may also include information about the namesof the roads, one-way streets, number of lanes, locations of trafficsignals and signs, speed limits, turn restrictions, address ranges, andso on. The geographic database 120 may also include information aboutpoints of interest, such as businesses, landmarks, museums, ATMs,government offices, and so on.

In one embodiment, the data in the geographic database 120 is in aformat that is optimized for providing navigation-related functions. Thegeographic database 120 is formed by a compiler process that forms thedatabase in the optimized format from a version of the database in adifferent format, such as a delivery format, like the GDF format. Theversion of the database in the delivery format, in turn, was formed by acompiler process that forms the delivery format from a different formatthat is optimized for data collection and updating.

In FIG. 4, the geographic database 120 includes the video data 54 andposition data 58 collected by the data collection equipment (24 in FIG.1). In the compiled geographic database 120 used to providenavigation-related features, the video data 54 and position data 58 maybe in a different format than the format in which it was collected.

In this embodiment, the navigation application software 108 includes abird's eye view feature 140. The bird's eye view feature 140 operateswith the other applications among the navigation-related softwareapplications 108. The bird's eye view feature 140 operates to provide auser of the computing platform 106 a video 150 on the display 114showing an indication of the current position of the vehicle 100 alongthe road on which the vehicle is traveling from a vantage point aboveand behind the current location of the vehicle. The bird's eye viewfeature 140 uses data from the positioning unit 110, the video data 54,and position data 58, as well as possibly other data from the geographicdatabase 120, to provide this video 150.

FIG. 5 illustrates the relationship between the vehicle 100 and thevantage point of the video formed by the bird's eye view feature 140. InFIG. 5, the vehicle 100 is shown at a position 160 along a road 164,which may be one of the roads (12 in FIG. 1) in the geographic area. Thevehicle 100 is traveling in the direction of indicated by the arrow 166.The bird's eye view feature 140 selects a vantage point 168. The vantagepoint 168 is above and behind the vehicle 100 (in the direction oftravel). The vantage point 168 is selected so that the vehicle 100 wouldbe observable in a field of view 170 to a person looking along the roadin the direction of travel.

The bird's eye view feature 140 determines a point 172 along the road164 directly under the vantage point 168 and selects that video framefrom the video data 54 that most closely matches the point 172.

If the video frame data is panoramic 3600 view data, a portion of thevideo frame may be selected to match the direction of travel of thevehicle.

If desired, as an optional step, the bird's eye view feature 140transforms (e.g., distorts) the video frame that matches the point 172to make it appear as if the video were captured from a different (e.g.,higher) position, than the position from which it actually had beencaptured. For example, if the video image corresponding to the position172 had been captured by a video camera mounted on top of a vehicle(such as the video camera 40 mounted on top of the vehicle 20 in FIG.2), the actual vantage point of the video image may be approximate 2meters from the ground, e.g., approximately at a point 176. However, inorder to make the video frame appear to have a higher vantage point,e.g., 5 meters, the video frame is transformed, e.g., distorted, toappear to have been captured from a higher point. As stated above,transformation of the video image is an optional step. In an alternativeembodiment, the video image is not transformed, but used with a vantagepoint corresponding to where it had originally been captured (e.g., atpoint 176).

Once a video frame corresponding to the vantage point 168 is obtained,an image 180 of the vehicle 100 is superimposed onto the video image ofthe road 164. The image 180 of the vehicle is superimposed on the videoimage 150 to match where the vehicle would appear to be if a person wereactually observing the road 164 from the vantage point 168 and observingthe actual vehicle 100 on the road. In one embodiment, the image 180 ofthe vehicle shows the rear of the vehicle because this is the side ofthe vehicle that a person viewing the actual road 164 from the vantagepoint 168 would observe. In addition, according to one embodiment, theimage 180 of the vehicle is selected to match the make, model and colorof the actual vehicle 100. The image 180 of the vehicle may even includethe end user's license plate number or other unique features.

The video 150 with the superimposed image 180 of the vehicle ispresented on the display 114 of the computing platform 106. FIG. 6 showsthe display 114 of the computing platform 106 with the video 150 of theroad and the superimposed image 180 of the vehicle shown thereon. (Notethat the lighter shade box surrounding the superimposed image 180 inFIG. 6 is included for illustration purposes and would not necessarilybe included in the actual image on the actual display presented to anend user.)

As the actual vehicle 100 travels along the road 164, as well as uponother roads, the video 150 presented on the display 114 is updated tomatch the changing position of the vehicle 100. Because the video framedata 54 contains images for positions that are relatively closetogether, the video images presented on the display appear to showcontinuous movement. The position of the superimposed image 180 isupdated accordingly.

Use of the Street Level Simulation Video to Indicate Routing Maneuvers

One of the uses of the street level video is to indicate routingmaneuvers to an end user. Routing maneuvers may be indicated byassociating the maneuver with the superimposed image of the vehicle. Forexample, in order to indicate to the user to turn right at an upcomingintersection, the bird's eye view feature 140 can cause the superimposedimage of the vehicle to maneuver through the right turn on the video.FIGS. 7A-7C show the image 180 of the vehicle superimposed on the videoshown on the display 144 and being caused to maneuver through anupcoming turn. (Note that the lighter shade circles surrounding thesuperimposed image 180 in FIGS. 7A-7C are included for illustrationpurposes and would not necessarily be included in the actual image onthe actual display presented to an end user.) According to anotherembodiment, in order to indicate to the user to turn onto an exit rampahead, the bird's eye view feature 140 can cause the superimposed imageof the vehicle to move into the right lane, and then turn onto the exitramp on the video.

Various other alternatives may be used to indicate maneuvers. Forexample, instead of showing the superimposed image of the vehicle makingthe maneuver, an arrow, dashes, an animation, or other marking mayextend from the superimposed image of the vehicle to indicate themaneuver on the video. FIG. 8 shows an example of a superimposed imageof a vehicle with a superimposed arrow 182 indicating an upcomingmaneuver through a turn. (Note that the lighter shade box surroundingthe superimposed image 180 in FIG. 8 is included for illustrationpurposes and would not necessarily be included in the actual image onthe actual display presented to an end user.)

Use of the Street Level Simulation Video to Indicate Orientation

Another use of the street level simulation video is to provide a userwith orientation relative to his/her surroundings. By presenting a userwith video from a vantage point at or slightly above street level andshowing the user's vehicle relative to the surroundings, the user canreadily grasp where he/she is and which direction he/she is going. Theuse of street level video provides meaningful information, such asbuildings, storefronts, addresses, street signs, lane configurations,landmarks, cross streets, and so on.

Use of the Street Level Simulation Video to Indicate Destination Arrival

Another use of the street level video is to provide a user with clearinformation about arrival at a destination. By presenting a videoshowing the actual appearance of the destination, a user may easilyobserve an entrance way, storefront, parking (or no-parking zones),driveways, or other information that may not be readily apparent frommap data alone.

III. Other Embodiments

A. Pedestrian and Other Types of Navigation

In the above embodiments, it was described how video collected by avideo camera mounted on a vehicle could later be used on a computerplatform in an end user's vehicle to provide meaningful information tothe end user about the location and orientation of the end user'svehicle along a road on which the end user was traveling. In analternative embodiment, video may also be used to assist pedestrians.According to this alternative, a pedestrian carries a portable computingplatform that has a display on which video can be shown. The portablecomputing platform may be a mobile phone, a personal digital assistantwith navigation application software or a personal navigation system.The portable computing device carried by the pedestrian may usepreviously obtained video data in the same or similar way, as describedabove for vehicles. In the case of a pedestrian, the indication oflocation of the computing platform, which would be superimposed on thedisplay, would not use an image of a vehicle. Instead, a generic symbol,such as an arrow, may be used. Alternatively, an image of a person maybe superimposed on the display at a location corresponding to thelocation of the computing platform. According to one alternative, theuser may select an image of himself/herself, or an image that resembleshimself/herself, or any other type of image.

Routing maneuvers may be indicated to pedestrians in a similar way thatrouting maneuvers are indicated to motorists. The superimposed image ofthe pedestrian may be shown simulating walking through an upcomingmaneuver. Alternatively, instead of having the superimposed image of thepedestrian simulating walking through a maneuver, arrows, dashes, oranimations may be used. Alternatively, footprints may be superimposed onthe video image to indicate where a pedestrian should walk to follow aroute.

Pedestrian navigation may be supported using the same street level videoobtained by driving a vehicle with data collection equipment along roadsin a geographic area, as described above. Pedestrian navigation may alsobe supported by collecting additional street level video captured with avideo camera, and possibly data collection equipment, carried by aperson on foot. The video camera and data collection equipment may bethe same as, or similar to, the video camera and data collectionequipment used in a vehicle for collection of street level video andposition data, as described above. A person on foot carrying a videocamera and data collection equipment may collect video data alongsidewalks, pedestrian-only walkways, paths, inside buildings, on trainand subway platforms, and so on. Such pedestrian-collected video may beuseful for providing guidance to pedestrians.

In addition to pedestrian travel, alternative embodiments may be usedfor travel by bicycle, motorcycle, bus, train, truck, scooter, rollerskates, skateboards, segways, etc.

B. Use of Street Level Video for ADAS

The street level video may also be used for Advanced Driver AssistanceSystem (“ADAS”) applications. These applications have been developed toimprove the comfort, efficiency, and overall satisfaction of driving.Examples of advanced driver assistance systems include adaptiveheadlight aiming, adaptive cruise control, and adaptive shift control,as well as others. Some of these advanced driver assistance systems usedigital map data, in addition to variety of sensor mechanisms in thevehicle, to determine the current state of a vehicle and the currentstate of the environment around the vehicle.

The street level video may be used for various ADAS warningapplications, such as obstacle or curve warning applications. Forexample, the street level video data may show a sharp turn ahead,relative to a superimposed image of the vehicle. Alternatively, thesimulated street level video data may be used to show crosswalks, schoolcrossings, posts, abutments, etc., relative to a superimposed image ofthe vehicle.

C. Other

In an above embodiment, it was disclosed that the image of the vehiclethat is superimposed on the video frames presented on the end user'sdisplay matches the make, model and color of the actual vehicle. In analternative embodiment, the image superimposed on the video framespresented on the end user's display may not match the end user's actualvehicle. Instead a mark, such as an arrow or other shape, may besuperimposed on the video frames at a location corresponding to the enduser's position. According to still another alternative, a genericvehicle may be used. According to still other alternatives, the end usermay select the mark or vehicle to be used to superimpose on the videoframes to indicate the end user's position.

In an above embodiment, it was disclosed that the system that displays abird's eye view of a user along a road includes a positioning unit. Inalternative embodiments, the system may omit having a positioningsystem. According to one alternative, a user may indicate his/herlocation or the location of the vehicle that is superimposed on thevideo frames presented on the display.

In an embodiment disclosed above, it was stated that the vantage pointfor selecting video to be shown to the user is determined to be alocation above and behind the user's current position. In analternative, the location of the vantage point can be chosen to becloser or further from the user's current position.

When the bird's eye view feature is used to depict the end user'svehicle maneuvering through a turn, the stitching feature disclosed inthe copending application entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STITCHING OFVIDEO FOR ROUTES” Attorney Docket No. N0251, may be used to form thevideo that shows the turn.

The bird's eye view feature may be used for purposes other thannavigation, such as in video or computer games.

It was disclosed above that video data could be collected by a mapdeveloper that used vehicles equipped with data collection equipment totravel on roads in a geographic area to collect the video data. Videodata could be collected in other ways. For example, video data could becollected using probe vehicles. Probe vehicles are vehicles operated byparties other than the map developer, but that are equipped to collectdata while they are being used for purposes other than data collection.For example, vehicles used by private persons for day-to-day commutingcould be used as probe vehicles. Alternatively, service vehicles, suchas police, postal, taxi, delivery, or public transportation vehicles,could be used as probe vehicles. Data recorded by probe vehicles is sentto a map developer where it can be processed and used.

It is intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded asillustrative rather than limiting and that it is understood that thefollowing claims including all equivalents are intended to define thescope of the invention.

1. A method for displaying information on a computing device comprisingthe steps of: determining a current position of the computing devicealong a road; presenting a video on a display of the computing device,wherein the video presented on the display of the computing device showsthe road and is derived from video data that had been previouslyobtained from a video camera mounted to a data collection vehicle beingdriven along the road, wherein the video being presented on the displayof the computing device has a vantage point above and behind the currentposition of the computing device; and superimposing an indication on thevideo being presented on the display of the computing device, whereinthe indication is superimposed on the video at a location correspondingto the current position of the computing device along the road.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the vantage point is above and behind thecurrent position of the computing device based on a direction of travelof the computing device along the road.
 3. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising: determining a direction of travel of the computing device.4. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing device is located in avehicle.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the indication is in the shapeof a vehicle.
 6. The method of claim 4 wherein the indication is in theshape of a vehicle that matches the make, model and color of the vehiclein which the computing device is located.
 7. The method of claim 1further comprising: prior to presenting the video on the display,transforming the video so that the vantage point appears higher than thevantage point at which the video had been obtained from a video cameramounted to the data collection vehicle.
 8. The method of claim 1 whereinthe computing device is carried by a pedestrian.
 9. The method of claim8 wherein the indication is in the shape of a person.
 10. The method ofclaim 8 wherein the indication is in the shape of a person that matchesthe appearance of the pedestrian carrying the computing device.
 11. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising: indicating a maneuver byassociating the maneuver with the indication superimposed on the video.12. The method of claim 11 wherein the maneuver is indicated by causingthe indication superimposed on the video to perform the maneuver. 13.The method of claim 11 wherein the maneuver is indicated by causing amarking to extend from the indication superimposed on the video throughthe maneuver.
 14. A computer-based system for displaying information fortraveling comprising: a display; video data that shows travel along aroad, wherein the video data had been previously captured from a vehiclebeing driven along the road; and an application that uses the video datato show a video on the display and superimposes on the video anindication of a user's position relative to the surrounding beingdisplayed on the video.
 15. The computer-based system of claim 14further comprising: a positioning unit operable to determine the user'sposition and provide an output indicating the user's position to theapplication.
 16. The computer-based system of claim 14 wherein theindication shows the user's vehicle.
 17. The computer-based system ofclaim 14 wherein the indication shows a vehicle.
 18. The computer-basedsystem of claim 14 wherein the indication shows the user's vehicle,including the color, make and model.
 19. The computer-based system ofclaim 14 wherein the indication shows a pedestrian.
 20. Thecomputer-based system of claim 14 wherein the application furtherindicates an upcoming maneuver by associating the maneuver with theindication.
 21. The computer-based system of claim 14 wherein theapplication further indicates an upcoming maneuver by causing theindication to perform the maneuver on the video.
 22. The computer-basedsystem of claim 14 wherein the application further indicates an upcomingmaneuver by causing markings to extend from the indication.